Proposal for improving computer aid to interior architectural design

Ankara : The Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design and the Institute of Fine Arts of Bilkent University, 1993.Thesis (Master's) -- Bilkent University, 1993.Includes bibliographical refences.In this work, several proposals are put forth in order to render computer-aid to interior architecture more efficient and easy-to-use. Considering the role of computer in architecture as a design assistant, the factors establishing this position have been discussed. Based on these factors and aspects of interior architecture, proposals are introduced. The proposals aim firstly at creating an interactive design environment where designers do not have to be specialized ‘in computers’, but ‘with the aid of computers’; secondly, at drawing attention to potential areas of study in computer-aid in design related to aspects particular to the profession of interior architecture. Finally, the expected contributions of the proposals introduced are discussed in terms of interior architectural practice and education, discussing the new definition of the profession and future trends.Şenyapılı, BurcuM.S

An interface model for improving the use of space simulation software in architectural design

Ankara : Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design and Institute of Fine Arts, Bilkent Univ., 1998.Thesis (Ph.D.) -- Bilkent University, 1998.Includes bibliographical refences.There is an ongoing debate on the success of architectural software in meeting the designers' wishes and in being familiar with the way designers design. One dominant belief is that as architectural software introduces a work environment closer to that of the paper-based techniques, the efficiency of the use of such software in the profession will increase. We argue that the use will increase by designing interfaces through which the users will be able to customize the digital environment according to their wishes. This thesis introduces a context-specific interface model to transform a state in the user+need space to a digital aid in the virtual design space. This model incorporates the Customization Scale Menu (CSM) to act with the menu options of the architectural space simulation software. The menu options are customized through the selections made on the CSM by the user. These selections will determine the required level of interaction between the software and the user, thus customizing the digital environment according to the user's needs.Şenyapılı, BurcuPh.D

Reconciling Computer and Hand: The Case of Author Identity in Design Presentations

As computers were newly emerging in the field of architectural design, it was claimed that the impact of computers would change the way architects design and present. However, within the course of computer use in design, although the field of architectural practice might have been altered extremely, in architectural education there still seems to be a bond to conventional mind-hand-paper relation. One of the reasons for that bond is the fact that although being related to many technologies, architecture essentially positions itself around an artistic core that is still fed with conventional modes of creation. Architectural education aims at adopting and working on this very core. One of the major contributors in the formation of this core is the presence of author identity. This paper makes a critical approach to computers in terms of expressing author identity in design presentations especially during design education. We believe that the author identity is important in design education in terms of identifying the potential and skills of the student. Especially in design education the final step of design process turns out to be the presentation, unlike architectural practice where the presented design is actually built. Within this conception, two different studies were held in an educational environment with 160 design students and 20 design instructors. The results of both studies pointed at the fact that the digital opportunities that exist for design education should evolve around preserving and underlining the author identity in design presentations

A Critical look at the Facades of Contemporary Apartment Blocks: The Case of Ever- construction in Ankara

Highly populated cities of Turkey are ever under-construction due to the never ending market demand for especially apartment blocks. In the case of Ankara, capital city of Turkey, being one of the planned cities of the modern era, a construction haze trying to keep up with this market demand is evident, somehow threatening the control over the city plan. The haze in constructing the apartment blocks leads to the fast generation of buildings, the speed of which the environment cannot keep up with. Hence, the buildings become detached from both their immediate surroundings, and similarly from the urban setting. This paper, looks at the built environment not from the point of view of users, but it rather regards the apartment blocks as an indispensable part of the urban fabric and discusses the quality of physical environment in terms of the facades of these apartmet blocks. One of the most effective and important faces/representatives that reflect the tastes of a period are the facades. The facades of contemporary apartment blocks in Ankara display tastes ranging from pure modern to high kitsch. This may be regarded as an asset in terms of creating a rich and polyphonic architectural scenery, yet the problem arises when the number of kitschy examples becomes overwhelming in this scenery. This paper asserts that the kitsch traced on the facades may be explained by the wish to become distinguished within the so-called pile of apartment blocks. The element of distinction is often formed by twisting some cultural references, inspired by traditional motives or by scenographic ornamentation. Such facades attempt to mark/distinguish the ostensible status of the owner and announce it to the passerby. Within this framework, this paper indicates the cultural twists turning into architectural bodies, and traces their roots to the desire of becoming part of the whole with a unique pompous identity. Parallel to this, the paper argues that in the case of Ankara, the phenomenon of everconstruction generates sustainability, yet unfortunately of cultural twists. However, the situation cannot be simplified to a cause-and-effect relationship. It should be noted that the relationship between the phenomenon of ever-construction and cultural change is reciprocal. This paper indicates that when either one goes haywire due to an uncontrollable speed, then it drags the other one along and both end up deformed

Mock-up of a set design project

This paper (1) claims that in spite of the unique opportunities introduced to design learning by the emergence of virtual models, the benefits of learning through building in real-scale cannot be totally disregarded. Within this framework, a real-scale project through which students could study light, color and texture was proposed in a senior interior design studio course. Students were asked to work in groups and create a set design, using different objects, materials, colors and lighting configurations within a mock-up space. This paper presents an assessment of the students' responses to the project, discussing the impacts of the project in terms of three main aspects: learning by doing and seeing, learning in different styles, and learning in a group environment. The study suggests that despite its functional difficulties both in terms of provision of space and budget, the integration of even simple real-scale projects to the design studio may be a viable option in design education, enhancing students' comprehension of the transformation between the design and its application.Publisher's Versio

An Inquiry into Computers in Design: Attitudes before- Attitudes After

Cataloged from PDF version of article.The tendency towards computer aid in design presentations differs in academia than in the practicing field; practice seems to welcome computer aid in presentation, whereas in academia there seems to be a dilemma. In this study, we approach this duality based on our teaching experience within an interior architecture curriculum. First, we unfold the problematic to identify the contributing factors, then we observe the tendencies through a questionnaire with design students and interviews with design instructors, and finally we project upon our findings. We claim that the contributing factors to the problematic are: loss of author identity, problems of authenticity, and proficiency of the instructors in computers. Also we claim that although the transitional period of accommodating computer tools in design education in terms of presentation seems to be over, an adjustment period is starting anew. One of the powerful aspects of this period is not allowing hand skills to fade away

The Shifting Tides of Academe: Oscillation between Hand and Computer in Architectural Education

There is a current vacillation in choosing hand or computer for design presentation in academia. Although the computer emerged as very powerful alternative presentation medium, it could not sweep away the hand totally. Believing that this vacillation cannot only be due to the positive and negative aspects of both media, we worked with a group of students in a design curriculum to observe the factors that affect their choice of medium for presenting design ideas. The students were required to use both media for the same task, subsequently their satisfaction and evaluation were examined through a questionnaire. Students acknowledged the positive aspects of both media, rather than accumulating on one side. Findings led us to concur that the constant oscillation of architecture between art and science penetrates down to the individual choice of presentation medium. We assert that the warmness of hand is not deserted as it contemplates the artistic essence, while the digital perfection of the computers flirt with science. The ever-attended, age-old question of architecture's being art and/or science occupies the architectural agenda at various levels. Both the polarizations and the reconciliations have theoretical, practical and educational consequences. This paper locates itself within this context and proposes a new framework for analyzing the impacts of this oscillation in design presentation, concluding that the future of presentation in education points to the coexistence of both media